Comicbook Playlist
by avatarforeva
Summary: A collection of spin-off stories all inspired by/based on a song. There will be stories with different characters from all kinds of TV shows, cartoons, comics, movies, books, etc. First one is about Rogue from the X-men Evolution Universe. Please read and comment (good and bad things)! Enjoy!
1. Screams Sound the Same

_Inspired by the song _Little Talks_ by Of Monsters and Men. I took the episode_ Self-Possessed_ from X-Men: Evolution (S3, E38) and tweaked it a bit to make it fit what I would imagine the story behind this song would be. For anyone who has seen that music video, what I choose to believe about it has nothing to do with that video because I think it makes no sense. I do not own any of the characters in this story they are the property of Marvel's X-Men franchise. _

_Please comment if you hated it or if you liked it or if you have any suggestions whatsoever, I appreciate all feedback! Thanks! Enjoy!_

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**Screams Sound the Same:**

_Run! Every cell of her being is screaming run! Just get out! She tears through the forest trees flying by in blurs of brown and green, rocks tearing at the skin on her bare feet, water dripping into her eyes from crawling out of a lake. Footfalls sound behind her_ – Rogue bolts up in bed. Her breathing comes fast and shallow, her heart hammering against her chest, sweat sticking her clothes to her skin. Light flashes on blinding Rouge for a moment before she looks around and remembers she is in her room at the Institute; bed, dresser, posters on the wall all familiar and comforting.

"Rouge! Are you okay?" Through the curtain of her red hair falling over her eyes Rouge can make out the look of concern on her roommates face. She swallows trying to slow her breathing and pulls the blankets off her legs feeling too hot and too cold at the same time. "Rouge? C'mon, like, talk to me…" Kitty leans forward her blue-gray eyes wide with concern. Finally feeling her breathing begin to slow down Rouge nods steadying her shaking hands.

"I'm alright…" Slowly feeling the adrenaline and fear being to subside Rouge tucks her hair back behind her ears and takes several deep breaths conscious of Kitty's eyes on her the whole time. "Really, it was just a bad dream."

"About what? It sounded awful." Kitty hugs herself and rubs her arms as if to warm up, a sudden chill runs through Rogue and she pulls the blankets back up to her chest. She recognized the dream, but it wasn't hers, it was Logan's. She had seen it when she had absorbed his powers, felt that primal terror all the way in her core. Why was it coming up now? Unprovoked. She looks up at Kitty waiting patiently for her response.

"I… I don't remember."

The whole day after that felt off. Rogue couldn't fall back asleep after she had convinced Kitty not to go get the Professor and that it really was nothing. Instead she lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what could have possibly made her access Logan's memories. By breakfast she still couldn't explain it and decided it had to have been a fluke; just a part of being unable to control her powers. School had gone by as it usually did; stares from the normal students and nothing all that exciting which she was grateful for because she didn't feel right. That nightmare had stuck with her all day making her jumpy and uneasy. When the final bell rang Rogue was glad to be heading home for some quiet time.

"Hey! Rogue!" Walking off campus she hears the unmistakable voice of Kurt, his German accent thick with each word. "Wait up!" She turns, her hair swinging around just above her shoulders, as he jogs up next to her.

"Need something Kurt?"

"You aren't going to the basketball game?" He waves his hand in the direction of the gym and moves to head in that direction.

"No I'm just walking home, not really in the -" Kurt cuts her off and moves to usher her in the direction of the gym.

"C'mon Rogue! Everyone is going, and if you go Scott can drive you home. You won't have to walk." He grabs her shoulder and suddenly it feels as though someone has yanked her backwards into a dark room and then just as suddenly her world again fills with light and she finds herself starring at the gyms entrance. She gives Kurt an incredulous look silently asking him if teleporting her across the quad was really necessary. "Now you have less of an excuse to leave, you are already here." He smiles and walks toward the door. Rogue gives one last glance in the direction of home and then suddenly hit with an uncharacteristic bout of excitement follows Kurt smiling into the gym.

The game had already started forcing them to make their way to their friends via the small walkway between the cheerleaders and the rest of the people sitting in the front row. Kurt watches the game as he walks and consistently manages to kick people in the shins as he stumbles by mumbling quick apologies while trying to follow the ball up and down the court. Rogue can't help herself, she gets caught up in the excitement of the atmosphere. All of the cheering and shouting is contagious and she finds herself screaming along with the crowd as Bayville almost scores the excitement bubbling up inside her uncontrollably. Kurt turns quickly raising an eyebrow at her and shaking his head at her random burst of normally nonexistent school spirit. The roaring cheers are choked off in Rogue's throat as she realizes there is something off; those feelings are not hers. _What is going on?_ Her heart rate picks up, someone else's feelings are inside her and forcing their way out. There is a scream and a blonde cheerleader trips and falls into Rogue sending her tumbling into the first row of people in the stands. A guy with messy brown hair and freckled cheeks tries to put his arm out to catch her but instead he only manages to snatch the fabric on her shoulder ripping it just before she collides with him.

The bare skin of her shoulder collides with his chin when she tries to push herself up and she is shocked with his memories and thoughts. She loses herself for a moment and becomes him entirely; as if his was the only life she knew or had ever known. Somewhere in the distance a boy screams and the sound brings her back slowly as she realizes who she really is and that he is screaming from her touch. Before Rogue has the chance to really act someone behind her yanks her up, their hand replacing his chin on her shoulder and there is a new life in her mind. Her body tingles and aches taking on their life force. _No!_ A childhood passes in front of her eyes, one that isn't hers but feels as familiar to her now as her own. Then it is gone. The hand is no longer gripping her skin. But the images keep coming. She sees everyone, so many memories, and none of them her own. They scroll across her vision obscuring her view of reality. Through blurred eyes she sees people standing above her, some she recognizes as they come closer – Kurt, Scott, Jean. Scott is trying to say something to her but she can't hear him over all the memories, there are too many shouting at her. Desperate to make it stop Rogue clamps her hands over her ears and forces her eyes to close willing the memories to stop wishing to be away from so many people.

Sucking in a breath Rogue feels a sharp pain at her back and opens her eyes afraid of what could possibly be happening. Blinking upward she finds she is starring at an orange sky smudged with pink clouds. _I teleported?_ Her body shaking Rogue sits up finding herself outside on the deserted football field, damp grass wetting her jeans. Voices play in her mind; long forgotten thoughts of life forces she had taken in over the years. She fights to her knees; arms shaking, breath ragged and sharp, barely holding onto her own presence.

Somewhere she hears her name; a high concerned somewhat raspy voice that can only be Kitty. It's too much. Thinking on Kitty brings forth her life force and Rogue feels her whole being succumb to it. Every feeling and experience; the terror of wondering what had happened when she first fell through the ceiling into her basement the first time she had discovered her powers. Her powers. Rogue opens her eyes to find she has sunk to her elbows into the damp Earth without even noticing it. A high piercing scream tears itself from Rogue's throat and she tears herself free of the ground praying she remain solid and not fall back through it. She crumples onto her knees mercifully staying above ground and desperately trying to breathe. Again she hears her name, this time closer and with more than one voice.

Huddled on the ground Rouge feels as though she is coming undone, her body writhing in agony, every nerve screaming, she hugs herself and clutches her sides frantically afraid she will fall to pieces. Every person she had every touched, even for a second, was fighting to smother her soul and be free. _Stop! Please!_ Rogue wants to cover her ears and muffle all the screaming voices in her head but the pain is too much bear, she can't move, only whimper and wait for defeat.

"Rogue!" _Scott?_ The sound of his voice should have been comforting, it meant help was there, but instead it brings Scott's persona to the forefront of her mind. "Rogue! What's wrong? What's happening?" Pressure builds behind her eyes and they burn with the strength of his powers._ Too many!_ _Make it stop!_ More voices fill her head; Scott, Jean, Evan, Kitty, Logan, Risty – everyone screaming inside of her skull. Some force yanks her arms from her sides and grips her upper arms, It hurts. She whimpers, her bones feeling as though they may shatter under the pressure.

"The Professor is coming Rogue just hold on." She doesn't know who says it or if she truly heard it. Everything in her head is chaos; all bright changing colors, deafening noise, and uncontrollable emotion. She losses track of time and location; of who she is. She goes limp against the pain letting it take her over and with it the people in her head surge with more fervor. _Stop! Please!_ _There are too many!_

_Too many what Rogue? _Her mind sparks for a moment hearing the Professor but it can't be, there are too many people yelling in her head. It was just her imagination, what she wants to hear. She clutches at her hair trying to make the throbbing stop suddenly conscious that she is lying on something spongy. _Rogue._ It isn't real. It can't be. She turns on her side curling into a ball. _Rogue, listen to me._ Someone pulls her back onto her back. Calm your mind, _Rogue. Let me help you. _She tosses her head trying to shake out all the extra sensations and hold onto only the Professor's comforting thoughts. The voices won't go away.

"Professor?" She asks out loud, how could he possibly hear her inside her own head? "Professor… please…" Her voice cracks and tapers off in a whisper as she loses her voice trying to force out those in her head.

_Rogue, focus on my voice._ Her mind can barely grasp his thought skimming across the edge of her consciousness. It still doesn't seem real. Tentatively she opens her eyes trying to find something real to latch onto. The light burns into her retinas at first forcing her to squint as blurry dark shapes loom over her. Moments later the dark shapes solidify into people; Logan, Ororo, Scott, Professor X, and Jean all leaning over her concern etched into the lines of their faces. _Focus on me._

"I can't!" She screams and closes her eyes again. Looking was a mistake, each of their personas finds new strength and claws at her mind fighting to pull her out of her own mind and replace her. "There's too many… please… I can't…" Her chest heaves while she talks unable to suck in a decent breath and tears slip from beneath her eyelids. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

_You have to calm your mind_. The Professor's voice thrums through her brain forcing its way through the chaos. _The more you panic the worse it will get Rogue. Let me_ _help you._ Rogue doesn't respond afraid that if she opens her mouth someone else's voice and thoughts will pour from her lips, instead she bites her lip trying to find something to anchor her. _Focus on my voice, Rogue._ The metallic tang of blood fills her mouth. _Breathe. Focus on my voice._ She tries desperately but the spirits in her mind are unrelenting and she panics. _No! Rogue, stop._

"There's too many!" Sweat pastes her hair to her forehead and neck and she squeezes her eyes shut hoping to force out the world. The Professor begins to speak again in her mind but he's cut off by the uproar. "I can hear them. All of them. Screaming at me!" Her skin tingles and burns from the stress and tension in her muscles. "There's too many! I can't hold them back!" Unaware of who she is anymore Rogue starts groping through her memories searching for something that is hers but it is all too confusing only making her more lost.

_Rogue you have to stop_.

"No! I can't! The screaming… stop it!" She claws at her ears as the voices all blend together into an ear-splitting howl. "They all sound the same. It's too much!" She chokes on sobs feeling exhausted, tired of running lost through her own mind, forced out by alien dispositions.

_Listen to my voice Rogue. It's me, Professor Xavier, focus on me_. His voice is strong over the din, a single patch of clarity in her hectic brain. _Let me help you. We can push them out together but you have to let me help you. Calm your mind. _Rogue remains tense on her back fighting to hold onto his voice. Some small part of her true self realizing knowing she should trust him. _Are you ready? _She takes a shallow, shaky breath.

"Make it stop." Then it is as if she has no control over her own mind anymore and she begins to panic more calling out for the Professor and begging for it to end.

_Stay with me Rogue, you have to trust me_. She loses herself entirely into one person, then another, and another all of them washing over and through her like water and then flowing away. The din begins to calm and the people vanish from her mind. Each person she becomes and discards is gone and slowly the onslaught of sounds and visions ends. Finally she is left with nothing just a black abyss and a silent expanse.

When she opens her eyes she finds she is staring up at the off white ceiling of the Institute infirmary without any memory of having gone there. Her lids are heavy with exhaustion, bottom lip aching and swollen, and a light emptiness in the back of her mind. Slowly the events of before come back to her in a horrible flash of memories that bring a headache to her temples and eyes.

"Oh good, you are awake." She turns her head to find the Professor and Logan at the side of her bed, the Professor smiling reassuringly down at her and Logan standing with his arms folded a typical scowl set into his face. "We were quite concerned. How are you feeling?" Rogue is taken aback by his kindness after feeling so attacked.

"I…" She looks from The Professor resting his hand on the railing of her bed to Logan watching her back intently and then back to the Professor her eyes widening with uncertainty. "I don't understand what happened. What's wrong with me?" Logan grunts in response and she darts a quick glance in his direction.

"Nothing." Professor X says very seriously but very clearly. Rogue begins to protest but he lifts his hand from the railing to silence her. "There is nothing wrong with you. It is the nature of your powers to take in others life forces and it seems that you have a capacity for how many your body, and mind, could carry. It is obvious that you require training with your powers to prevent something like this from happening again but no Rogue, there is nothing wrong with you. Do you understand?" Rogue looks down at her feet uncomfortable with the knowledge that her powers are even more out of control than she had grown accustomed to.

"And if I can't keep myself from doing this again?" Rogue swallows hard cracking the scab on her lip. "I can't do that again. I didn't know who I was or who I wasn't. I couldn't tell what I was thinking and what the people in my head were screaming…" She feels panic flutter in her chest and has to take a deep breath to keep it at bay. "I can't do that again."

"I promise you I will do everything I possibly can to keep this from happening again and to teach you how to control your powers but should this ever happen again," He pauses and waits until she meets his gaze, "I will be here to lead you to safety."


	2. Heading Home

_Inspired by the song Coming Home by Diddy. This story takes place during the series finale of "Sozin's Comet Pt.3" of Avatar the Last Airbender and centers around Zuko and Katara. I do not ship Zutara. I say it now. This is not a Zutara oneshot. They both just fit my idea for the story really well and they are two of my favorite characters from the show. I do not own any of the rights to these characters or to Avatar the Last Airbender, they are the property of Nicktoons._

_ Please review! I really enjoy hearing all of your feedback, the good, the bad, the somewhat random, all of it! Enjoy!_

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**Heading Home:**

Starring at the massive outer wall of Ba Sing Se brings a flood of memories before Zuko's mind. He'd been here before mercilessly hunting the Avatar, this was the place he had fled to, a refugee of his own war, and gave up on his quest beginning to realize the error of his ways. It was also the place he turned on his Uncle, seduced by wishful thinking and Azula's lies, Ba Sing Se fell and he had done nothing to stop it. He didn't stop any of it. The Fire Nation had fallen so far and all he had done was watch from beyond the borders desperate to fulfill his pointless quest. A cool breeze brushes reassuringly against his side, ruffling the collar of his shirt, and pulling him from his reverie. Through the fringes of his black hair he can see the top of the wall looming over him, a testament to the once great Earth Kingdom. The Earth Kingdom was still great he supposed, it just needed to be liberated.

"Zuko?" Her voice seems a bit far off, probably still by the White Lotus' camp, still Katara's concerned tone is unmistakable. One of the strongest people he had ever known and she had a heart of gold, never turning away from people who needed her. The group's collective mother. She calls again, this time closer, Zuko hugs his knees closer to his chest entertaining the idea that if he can make himself smaller maybe she will dismiss him as a rock and move on. "Zuko?" Soft footsteps pad up around the rocks shielding him from view, "Hey, what are you doing out here?" He keeps his eyes on the wall and doesn't answer, not knowing what to say. "Can I sit?" Out of the corner of his eye he can see the blue fabric of her skirt and her shoes.

"Yeah. Spot is all yours." She settles onto the ground pulling her knees into her chest and wrapping her hands around each of her ankles. He can feel her eyes on his face, starring at the side dominated by his scar and he is hit with the realization that he betrayed Katara here as well.

"So?" There is a pause, both of them waiting for the other to say something. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing." He shrugs and motions toward the wall, "Just came out for the quiet. Space to think." He leans back on his palms and looks down at his shirt again thinking about all the things he has done which make him a disgrace. Katara makes a thoughtful noise and rests her cheek on the top of her knees still watching him. Uncomfortable with the silence Zuko asks her the same question.

"The same I guess." Her eyes become distant and her face changes, her features falling into a sadder expression. "I'm still worried about Aang." Her sentence hangs in the air between them. How could he be so selfish, contemplating his own self value while the Avatar the only person who could stop the Fire Lord was mysteriously missing a day before Sozin's Comet. Uncle had said that destiny would deliver Aang to where he had to be but Zuko was still concerned as well.

"I'm sure he is fine. Uncle thinks he will be where he is meant to be." Silence. He glances over at Katara and sees she is chewing her bottom lip nervously, her eyes still distant and afraid for Aang. "He will be there Katara." She snaps out of it.

"He has to be." She takes a deep breath and smiles weakly at him, her ocean blue eyes still sad. He returns her smile but only barely. "He would want you to talk about it you know." Zuko shakes his head slightly, the hair over his forehead fluttering with the confused motion. "Aang, he would tell you to talk about it."

"I don't know what you are talking about." The words come out too fast and too defensive, and Zuko scowls down at his shoes.

"You don't have to talk to me, Iroh is just down the hill in his tent." A fact Zuko is well aware of. "He loves you Zuko."

"I know."

"Then let him help you if you won't let me." She reaches out a hand and places it on his knee in a brief reassuring gesture.

"I can't… I…" He tries to come up with an excuse but words won't come to him just the urge to talk that Katara always seems to inspire in everyone. "I can't face them."

"Who?" Despite the cool breeze Zuko starts to feel hot and uncomfortable as if he were engulfed in flames and he has to check to make sure he hasn't accidently started to bend. It was a bad idea to talk about this with Katara; with anyone. He begins to make up some excuse to leave but catches Katara's eye patience and concern etched into the lines of her face and instead the words come tumbling out.

"The White Lotus. The gang. The Fire Nation. Everyone." He stops, expecting her to say something but she just waits quietly for him to go on. "Mostly the Fire Nation I guess… no everyone. It just starts with the Fire Nation. How am I supposed to be their ruler? I'm no Fire Lord!" His hands shake and burn and he has to switch to sitting with his legs crossed leaning forward afraid that he will fall over or lose control of his bending. "The people would never have me anyway. I'm a banished Prince. I turned my back on my own people. How am I supposed to usher in a new age of peace and understanding in the Fire Nation when not even a year ago I was just like them? Why would they listen to me?" He drops his head in his hands sucking in a shaky breath, part of him still unable to believe this is happening. "How could they not hate me?" Frustrated, he jumps up and paces back and forth interlocking his fingers behind his head and trying to focus on the coolness of the night.

"Zuko, you…" Katara remains sitting on the ground but she's pivoted to watch him pace back and forth one arm pressed to the Earth to hold her up and the other resting atop her bent knees. "Zuko you are being too hard on yourself." He shakes his head and drops his hands.

"My whole life all I've done is make mistakes!" Katara starts to shake her head and protest but she is drowned out by Zuko's tirade. "I spent years doing the wrong things! All I ever cared about was getting my honor back and capturing the Avatar. I betrayed my Uncle! The only person who ever treated me like a person, and I betrayed him! I betrayed you! Right here, in Ba Sing Se," He throws his arm out in the direction of the wall, "the only person to ever treat me like I was worth redemption and I betrayed your trust too!"

"But you earned it back!"

"I still did it!" Katara shrinks back at his outburst. "All they know is Zuko the banished Prince. The traitor. Every day they will see me and remember everything I did wrong and they will hate me!" Angry and desperate Zuko lets energy build in his fists and unleashes it all on the pile of rocks that had been hiding him from view. Flames burst from his fists lighting up the night in yellow, orange, and red washing out the natural blues and greens of night. "I can't be the Fire Lord!"

"Zuko, stop!" Katara screams at him over the crackling flames. He looks up and sees she has jumped up from the ground and backed away, her hands instinctively hovering over her water pouch ready for a fight. "Zuko! Stop it now!" His mouth opens in horrified shock when the energy stops coursing through his limbs and the night returns to its prior peace with only the glowing rock a sign of his eruption. He looks back to Katara, still standing a few feet away, feeling sick to his stomach and utterly drained. Without thinking he leans forward looking to support himself on the rock and yelps when the heated rock burns his hand. Katara is at his side bending water around the raw blistering skin before he has time to feel too much of the pain.

"I'm sorry." She looks up at him quickly her blue irises reflecting the pulsing orange rock a foot from them. "I didn't mean to scare you. I should have more control, that was -"

"Shut up." He abruptly closes his mouth and looks down at her still mending his injured hand. She waits until she is finished and drops his hand before continuing, "First of all, I was not scared. In my experience when you get in the way of fire it burns you, which hurts." She flicks his still wet wrist, "Which I'm sure you know." Zuko flexes his hand feeling an odd tingling sensation which normally accompanies healing.

"Yeah I do." His hand travels to his scarred eye. "I learned that a long time ago." Katara steps forward and takes his hand away from his eye.

"Yeah, so did the rest of the world." Zuko's head hangs and he stares at the grass at their feet blowing softly in the breeze, "You are too hard on yourself Zuko. You will be a great Fire Lord. I know it. Your Uncle knows it. Aang knows it. You are the only one who doesn't." He looks up and passed Katara at the top of the Great Wall teetering on the edge of falling back into his regrets. "Zuko look at me." Reluctantly he does as he is instructed and finds her eyes searching his, looking for some part of him that is grasping what she says. "You will be a great Fire Lord because of your mistakes. You have learned from them, can you not see that? A year ago…" She motions toward the sky somehow referencing the past, "A year ago instead of healing you I would have frozen you to the spot and took off running with Sokka and Aang looking over my shoulder every five seconds but not anymore because you have come so far! You learned from what you did and today I am proud to call you my friend." Zuko rubs the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the compliment.

"Um… thank you?" he drops his hand and looks back at her, a comforting smile playing across her lips. "It still doesn't change everything I've done." Katara shakes her head and looks down at the ground for a moment before again returning his gaze.

"You're right, it doesn't. We can't change the past no matter how much we want to," Her hand goes to her mother's necklace. "But the Fire Nation, your Kingdom, they will forgive you. You are not passed redemption. I used to think all fire benders were the same; cruel, hateful, evil, greedy…" She stops seeing Zuko cringe and look away. "Hey," she grabs his chin and forces him to look at her again, her fingers leaving small red spots on his skin, "I thought all those things but I was wrong and you showed me that." Zuko feels the urge to look away from the sincerity in her eyes because he is unable to comprehend the intensity of what she says. "And I refuse to believe that the Fire Nation is home only to people like Azula and your Father because it is home to you too. They are your people Zuko. Yours. Not Ozai's. Not Azula's. Not mine. They are yours, and they are waiting for you to go home and lead them." A heavy silence falls when she stops talking in which Zuko again becomes lost in his thoughts remembering everything he had to learn and suffer before he had gotten to this point.

Katara was right, he couldn't go back and change his past and right his wrongs but he could learn from his mistakes. He had learned from his mistakes. A new, somewhat uncertain yet strong, confidence flowed through him assuring him that he had what he needed to be the ruler he was destined to be. He had a lifetime of lessons to teach his people. He had wise friends like Katara and Aang, the Avatar, who would advise him. He had a home that would forgive his mistakes.

Surprising both of them Zuko pulls Katara into a hug, "Thank you, Katara." After a moment to process, she returns the gesture. When they step back she smiles up at him as if asking if she really helped him. Zuko smiles a rare smile and nods steering her back in the direction of the camp, "I'm ready to go home." She exhales as if she had been holding her breath waiting for his answer and they walk side by side back to camp determined to finally end the Hundred Years War with the rise of the sun.


End file.
